In Defense Of Season Seven

In Defense of Season Seven

This season has so many incredible things to offer; the animation, the voice acting, the writing, the character development, like… I think it’s one of the best we’ve had so far. I love season six the most because of how heartwrenching the last few episodes are but this season was still phenomenal. This fandom likes to focus on the negative more than the positive, even if the negative is a minority, so I’m gonna give some opinions on these negative things.

- “forced relationships”

Whomst?? Do you mean Keith and Acxa? Because literally Acxa saved team voltron and Keith didn’t want to leave her behind because he’s honourable and he felt like they owed her. Ezor and Zethrid teased Acxa about liking Keith but neither of them responded, and in fact Keith had nothing to do with their shit. They were just trying to mess with them. Even if there is some kind of attraction there it’s on Acxa’s part and is definitely one-sided. I personally think they could even be related, like… I know heteronormativity has us all expecting that when a girl is teased about liking a guy the two will end up together because we’ve been trained to think that way but really, I know they won’t do that. Keith isn’t just gonna like… open up to this chick he’s known for ten minutes and want to be in a relationship with her. And there’s no amount of friendship bonding they could do in 13 episodes that wouldn’t make their romance feel clunky and rushed in comparison to the deep and meaningful relationships I love this series for. They’ve been building Keith and Shiro as a relationship since season one and it’s been established that they’re stronger now after their battle in season six. The only logical and sensical choice for a Keith romance is Shiro and I know Acxa coming in isn’t gonna change that, regardless of how she might feel. Even platonically Shiro basically owns Keith’s heart, man. No one is gonna replace that.

If you mean allurance, allow me to point you to the entire fucking series because they’ve also been building up since season one. Lance has gone from this flirty entitled brat to a respectful and dedicated person and honestly it’s one of the best character changes in the series. He’s loved - not liked because she’s pretty, but loved - and respected Allura since season three and Allura has been falling for him as well. She had that thing with Lotor but that doesn’t mean her being with Lance would be forced. Lance didn’t feel entitled to her at all, in fact he was more worried for her safety than her and Lotor getting together. He wanted her to be happy because he loves her, even if that meant not being with her. That’s huge. It’s a great way to have a relationship build instead of the guy getting the girl because he thinks she’s hot that we always get with m/f romances.

- “we were queerbaited with sh@dam/ad@shi”

No, we weren’t. Y'all if I see one more fucking person saying this season was bad solely because Adam died I’m gonna throw myself off a bridge. Lots of people died. That wall was fucking massive. That’s what happens in war (real slick also @ the person who literally accused Bex of defending the decision to kill a gay character when she herself is LGBT+). We literally saw the man for like three minutes of screentime and I don’t understand why people expected to see more than that. Shiro is our LGBT+ rep, not Adam. Adam was a plot device meant to deliver the reveal that Shiro is attracted to men. He was never meant to be an important character nor was he meant to get back together with Shiro. There was no queerbaiting of any sort this season.

- “Keith swooping in and saving Shiro was Keith stealing his agency, he should’ve killed Sendak himself”

This entire show is about togetherness; facing the abyss alongside those you love. Shiro had to face one of his biggest demons this season, and with the theme of the show I’m surprised people think he should’ve done it alone. He ran head first into that fight with Sendak; no holding back, no fear. That’s what mattered. He fought bravely and fiercely against his greatest rival and honestly the confidence he radiated in that scene inversely paralleled season one in which he fought Sendak one on one and ultimately lost. This time he didn’t lose– he had help. A major theme of his arc is learning that he doesn’t have to face his demons alone, and it’s entirely poetic that it was Keith who killed Sendak, in my opinion. No one else could’ve done that and had it feel so right. He’s always tried to look out for Shiro, and he literally brought him back from the dead. He didn’t stop Shiro from going into the fight, he just came in to give him a hand when it was too much for Shiro to handle alone. It was done really well.

- “Shiro isn’t the black paladin anymore”

Okay, to be fair before the season even aired I was upset as much as the next guy but my upsettedness dwindled because I knew they wouldn’t be sidelining him. The directors love Shiro so much, okay? Like… yes he’s suffered but everyone has. So much thought and care was poured into his character and his arc and I’m so grateful for that. Being the captain of the Atlas is an incredibly important role, and the sole reason she can even transform into a mecha is because of his arm. He’s seen giving orders not only to the paladins but to literally everyone. He’s still very much a leader, even without the black lion. That’s what his arc is about; that he’s more than just the black paladin. He’s more than the burden that was placed on his shoulders. Yeah they solidified a lot that Shiro was the true black paladin but honestly passing the torch to Keith doesn’t bother me one bit. Keith has grown into his position so well and he clearly excels, just like Shiro always knew he would. Shiro has outgrown the role of black paladin and has moved on to the role of Captain Shirogane. He’s incredible this season and I’m so happy with what they’ve done with him.

- “they queerbaited k/ance”

Uh… no. They said months back that they never intended for it to be canon and the fact that people got that vibe actually surprised them. Yes Keith and Lance got along this season but that just is a testement to their growth as individuals. They’ve outgrown the rivalry and I’m glad to see that. Lance can be Keith’s right hand man and is content in that position and Keith trusts him. That’s huge. I’m so happy they ended up like that and I’d love to see more of them being friends next season.

- “the writing was bad”

Okay, that’s an opinion. You’re allowed to have those. Thing is though, that it really wasn’t. Because we’ve had such short seasons getting a long one where a lot of stuff happens has overwhelmed everyone who watched it all at once. It might feel poorly written to some because the focus is heavily on plot development and not relationships between characters as in previous ones. Essentially, shit got real this season and there was no time for that kind of thing, even with 13 episodes. With the battle for Earth over, the only big bad we’ve got left is Honerva, who has fucked off to who knows where. They’ll definitely end up fighting her in s8, but s7 really had a “final battle” feel in the finale. I feel like a lot of the last season will be dealing with the aftermath of this one, to be honest. Characters talking things out, Allura and Lance becoming official, Keith and Shiro possibly also becoming official, picking up the pieces and rebuilding Earth like we already saw them doing, etc. It’s gonna be less plot heavy and more “chill”, I think. An interesting choice for the final season to be sure but the battle for Earth was so fucking intense it’s hard to top that. Maybe I’m wrong but I feel like 7 is gonna be the most intense season of the show.

- “the sheith was OOC”

?? This one confuses me. Maybe it’s because we had so much of it last season that the general lack of interaction between them got to some people but really? Pre-Kerberos backstory? Keith begging Shiro to fight and stay alive? Keith helping Shiro defeat Sendak? That moment where Keith is holding him and that look they give each other?? Like?? We were blessed and it was perfectly in character. Next season I think we’ll see what Joaquim meant more that their bond is now stronger now that all the crazy shit on Earth has gone down.

Those are the only complaints I’ve really seen so far, but there are probably more. These are just my opinions on these subjects and of course not liking the season for any reason is your opinion if you don’t. You don’t have to like all of or even some of it. This is just my input.